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You won’t be reading this in Wirral View or Wirral Globe and certainly not Wirral Life but research by the Guardian shows the most depressed neighbourhoods in England are all in the north and the Midlands and as you can see above four of the top 15 are in and around Birkenhead.

But then that’s what you get when the local MP invites a ‘stunning lawyer’ who he worked with in the Child Poverty Action Group with the expectation of career advancement via the endless supply of poor/depressed people to Birkenhead. What a ‘stunning’ legacy they leave behind.

The good news for those hitting the Sertraline and other unprescribed supplements of their own choice to get them through the daily grind of living in Birkenhead is that Frank Field is well and truly on his way out .

With the election of not one but two Green councillors in Birkenhead it has to be the case that in the words of that great pop philosopher Yazz , ‘ The Only Way is Up’…

We understand that a most extraordinary court case involving veteran whistleblower and self-styled public accountability campaigner Martin Morton against Wirral Council and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has ended with Morton’s case being dismissed. Wirral Council have known about the ruling for a month but there has been no public announcement and the judgment is strangely not publicly available – cover up much? But then the course of this legal challenge has been very strange indeed. A hearing was originally supposed to be held in Liverpool in November 2017 only for the case to be mysteriously transferred to London – far from the prying eyes of the people of Wirral.The case was transferred by Justice Peter Lane who was the then President of the General Regulatory Chamber.

A hearing was eventually held in April 2018 and nearly 5 MONTHS LATER we haven’t had official notice of the Upper Tribunal’s decision.

So what was the case about and what was Morton after? Apparently he was after a report written by close Frank Field associate , Nick Warren, that was supposed to be the final word on the long running Wirral Council highways whistleblowing case dating all the way back to 2008 (!) Please note Nick Warren was the President of the General Regulatory Chamber prior to Justice Peter Lane , to which we can only add are you people beginning to realise how this shit works yet? – establishment cover up much?

We haven’t as yet read the ruling but we are led to believe that the reason that the Wirral public are not allowed to see the Warren Report is that it would cause ‘damage and distress’ to those named in the report. We think the technical term for this is ‘bollocks’.

Isn’t it funny how people are happy to take public money but not happy to subject to public accountability? What’s more it must be the first time in the history of whistleblowing that the so-called ‘whistleblowers’ didn’t want a report about what they’d reported and what they’d been through as a result to be published. Surely genuine whistleblowers would want to act in the public interest and DEMAND the Warren Report was published.

Anyway we don’t think the judgment has anything to do with preventing damage or distress to whistleblowers or former Wirral Council senior officers trekking around India and enjoying their retirement funded by Wirral council taxpayers. It’s all about preventing damage and distress to Nicholas Warren who appears to have been prepared to sacrifice his esteemed standing in the legal profession to help out his old mucker Frank Field by agreeing to play a dubious role in the utterly corrupt clusterfuck known as ‘Wirralgate’.

We have to be uncharacteristically circumspect from here on in as a) we don’t know whether Morton intends to appeal this seemingly ridiculous decision and b) we haven’t yet read the ruling in full. However from our perspective it would seem an approach to the Court of Appeal would be highly unlikely as ,unlike Wirral Council, Morton doesn’t have a bottomless pit of public money to hire top notch barristers to help get the most senior politicians on Wirral out of a hole of their own making. If Morton were to lose an appeal he would have to pick up the tab for a legal bill that would run into tens of thousands. Equity before the law? Don’t make us laugh!

However perhaps all is not lost. Could Morton draw upon the support of Frank Field?, who should be equally disappointed in the judgment as all of us who are interested in public accountability . As we have previously reported Field stated in his blog dated 23 June 2018 :

The next stage in establishing that truth will come, I guess, with the publication of the Nick Warren report. The whistle-blowers agreed with the council that this stunning lawyer should carry out an inquiry into their case. The report will be made public, I’m sure, as a freedom of information claim has been lodged.

Slowly but surely the truth will out. The citizens of Wirral owe the whistle-blowers, including X, such a debt for shifting officers that were found wanting in respect of the public good.

Perhaps ‘stunning lawyer’ Nick Warren can pull a few strings like he appears to have done already and finally get the report he allegedly wrote published in the public interest? Indeed if he doesn’t questions will continue to be asked as to what he was doing getting involved in the biggest scandal in Wirral’s political history whilst he was still a Judge.

Currently it would appear the only way the truth ,the whole truth and nothing but the truth will ever be revealed about ‘Wirralgate’ will be via Wirral Leaks – the collusion, the corruption the conspiracy of silence and the cover up (other c words are available) -involving an MP, councillors, council officers past and present , Merseyside Police , the Judiciary and the local press has yet to be told. One day we hope to dissect in forensic detail the ‘Anatomy of A Cover Up’. Until then we’d like to applaud all those involved so far…

First of all – thanks to our stand ins who I’m sure you’ll agree did a sterling job in our absence. A few editorial points and one-liners from us and they got the house – or Leaky Towers – style down to a tee. Thankfully some of the more contentious and controversial matters have been left for our return. This included a tip-off to check out a particular post from June 2018 on Frank Field’s Westminster blog which ,if you wish,you can find on his website…

Out of respect for the dead we won’t provide a link to the post especially as it names someone who’s anonymity had been carefully preserved for the best part of a decade. Field’s strange tribute seems to us to be less a eulogy and more a rewriting of history. We reproduce the post omitting the initial naming of the deceased and adding the bold type :

…the power that he put into trying to ensure that the truth that underpinned the case for the group that I call ‘the whistle-blowers’ should be made known.

There is this small group of whistle-blowers who were concerned over the Colas highways contract in Wirral. Wrongdoings were alleged by the whistle-blowers and their case resulted in a clutch of cheating officers leaving the council. Cleverly drawn contracts and powerful legal representation resulted in Wirral having to pay compensation monies to these individuals over the contract – tens of thousands of pounds or more that each of them have had to walk the plank.

What an injustice that Wirral ratepayers had to pay these sums by law to people whose position was untenable in the council once the whistle-blowers had completed their work.

Contrast that with the treatment of the whistle-blowers. These were the agents by which less than proper doing was unmasked. The package of compensation for them, of their careers being blighted, and one of their names being published “by accident” on the council website, was around £5,000.

The injustice to these noble citizens has still to be countered. X died before that day arrived but that day assuredly will come as truth is on their side.

It often takes so long in this country which I love to get this elemental truth established. The inquiry, for example, to establish full the truth about BHS goes on and on, and Parliament won’t give up until it has that truth.

Likewise in the Wirral. Now diminished by X’’s death, the whistle-blowers will go on and on, with my support, until truth is established.

The next stage in establishing that truth will come, I guess, with the publication of the Nick Warren report. The whistle-blowers agreed with the council that this stunning lawyer should carry out an inquiry into their case. The report will be made public, I’m sure, as a freedom of information claim has been lodged.

Slowly but surely the truth will out. The citizens of Wirral owe the whistle-blowers, including X, such a debt for shifting officers that were found wanting in respect of the public good.

We really don’t know where to start with this one. But perhaps we’ll concentrate on the tortuous language and why Field feels the need to use the word ‘truth’ 8 times (count’em). It’s as if he’s trying to convince himself of his version of the ‘truth’.

Furthermore the reference to the publication of the Nick Warren report as a means of establishing ‘truth’ is both puzzling and intriguing . Is this the same report that Wirral Council have kept secret for nearly 3 years and is the subject on ongoing legal proceedings which have lasted 2 years? You’d think that Field and the ‘stunning lawyer’ behind the report would have the power,influence and legal knowledge to have the report published before now wouldn’t you? How does Field know that the Warren Report will be made public? Does he know something that we don’t or is he interfering with ongoing legal proceedings ? What’s more can Field tell us who lodged the ‘freedom of information claim’? So many questions and all of them seemingly so far,far away from the truth.

Wouldn’t it be ironic, when we understand Field’s broken arm was a result of tripping over a pavement stone in Hamilton Square ,that it could be the guys from highways who might be responsible for his ultimate downfall.

However on reflection we don’t think that it will be these ‘noble citizens’ or even the Birkenhead CLP that will be his undoing . It will be Frank Field’s own hubris.

We’ve been sent this picture (or a triptych as one of our clever contributors called it) . It came with a cross -eyed witness report which read :

There is a lot of dancing around a pole at Derby Pool car park today…people attempting to read this notice. You have to take up 3 different positions to read it…. it’s all a bit Birkenhead lap dancing club….

Surely not legal?

Meanwhile one of many Wirral Leaks readers sent us the Wirral Council weblink to their new car parking charges proposals. One reader wrote :

I’m sure you’ve been inundated with this but if not read the full details.

One major flaw is they plan to charge £20 after 10pm. How is that going to sit with people out for a drink,at the cinema or at the pavilion.

Regards

Yes I’m sure you’ll agree it’s all very snidey from Wirral Council. No change there then – although unfortunately it’ll be you who not only needs the loose change but a couple of tenners!

THE LOWDOWN ON HIGHBROW

For those of you who want to catch up on the latest court news and specifically the Nigel Hobro case held this week in Birkenhead County Court can we direct you to another full eyewitness report here

The interesting aspect for us was the ruling that the case was statute barred meaning that Hobro had run out of time to bring a claim for compensation. That would surely also be the case for the Wirralgate complainants but fortunately for them they’ve got an incriminating recording and bent Birkenhead MP Frank Field in their corner to ‘demand’ a bespoke investigation by good friend Nick Warren.We’ll have to wait and see how that case pans out but we’d love to see how it would stand up in a court of law. The answer being that of course that it wouldn’t.

THE GREEN TIDE IS RISING

Talking of a desperate and clearly rattled MP witnessing his vice-like grip – and boy do we mean vice – on his God-given constituency begin to loosen . Once again many readers (and interestingly enough Labourites or should that be Labour-Rights?) have sent us the personal email sent by Frankenfield to the party faithful and his insightful analysis of the recent local elections

Hello Wirral Leaks,

Below is a excerpt from a Frank Field Labour email talking about their local election campaign in Birkenhead. Frank can’t seem to fathom that other parties giving people something to vote for means that Labour can’t take the electorate for granted (something he clearly has done for his whole parliamentary career). As for the phrase ‘Herculean effort’, and looking at the amount of resources Labour poured into it, surely a more apt description of the election in Birkenhead and Tranmere would be David versus Goliath?

Local elections

Frank comments, ‘I was really pleased to campaign with each of Labour’s terrific candidates – Jeff Davies, Sam Frost, Liz Grey, Paul Jobson, Moira McLaughlin, and Gill Wood – in the run-up to the local elections, in which Labour maintained its majority on Wirral Council.

‘The breakdown of the Birkenhead results reveals some notable trends. Since this round of seats was last contested in 2014, UKIP’s share of the vote in Birkenhead has totally collapsed (from 17.5 per cent, to nil). Meanwhile, Labour’s share of the vote has increased by 6.5 percentage points (from 48.2 per cent, 54.7 per cent) and the Greens’ by 6 percentage points (from 13.2 per cent, to 19.2 per cent). This illustrates how heavily the Greens are targeting certain wards in Birkenhead. The Lib Dems’ vote increased by 3.1 percentage points (from 11 per cent, to 14.1 per cent), and the Tories’ by 2.1 percentage points (from 9.2 per cent, to 11.3 per cent).

‘There was a Herculean effort to wrestle back Birkenhead & Tranmere to Labour, and to win in Oxton, but the Green and Lib Dem vote held up in each respective ward.

‘It is worth spending time as a party to understand why we did so well, relatively speaking, in Bidston & St James, Claughton, and Rock Ferry, while results elsewhere have raised real issues for next year. Unless we rethink the strategy in Prenton, for example, this seat could well fall to the Greens within a couple of elections.

‘Across Wirral, UKIP’s share of the vote fell by 16.5 percentage points (from 16.6 per cent, to 0.1 per cent). The Tories’ share of the vote increased by 7.4 percentage points (from 28.9 per cent, to 36.3 per cent), Labour’s by 6.7 percentage points (from 38.1 per cent, to 44.8 per cent), the Lib Dems’ by 1.6 percentage points (from 8.4 per cent, to 10 per cent), and the Greens’ by 0.8 percentage points (from 7.7 per cent, to 8.5 per cent).’

So we say to the good people of Prenton – the old certainties are over , you know what to do come the next local elections – make ’em earn it or even better give Frank and his phonies a well deserved kick up the arse.

This week’s Cabinet announcement concerning a council tax of 5.99% came as no surprise to anyone. Nor did Council ‘leader’ Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies inevitably blaming ‘Tory cuts’ for such a hike. However where Pip outdid himself in his budget proposals was suddenly finding £20 million down the back of the metaphorical Town Hall settee “to prevent Wirral’s young people becoming victims of Tory policies.”

Now whilst we readily acknowledge that cutting off funding streams to local authorities is very much part of a shameful central government strategy to dismantle public services – and which the Labour administration at Wirral Council seem more than happy to go along with – we baulked at the rewriting history that was going on here . The playing of party politics with children’s lives and taking no responsibility whatsoever for the dire state of Children’s Services on Wirral was a new low even for Pip . But then it’s so much easier for a Council leader, who is in a permanent state of denial, to lay bad management, poor decision making , laziness, and incompetence on the part of public servants and poor governance on the part of local councillors at the door of ‘Tory cuts’. It was all very reminiscent of the first edition of the Town Hall propaganda sheet Wirral View turning the damning Ofsted report into Children’s Services into a good news item. We had the foresight to write : “The article on the damning Ofsted Inspection report is given more spin than Rapunzel on speed and has the title ” Children’s services to get major investment” ! Which we suspect will be the distorted shape of things to come. Full article here : First Glance at Wirral View

The October 2016 announcement of this ‘investment’ to recruit additional social workers ,improve training and management and provide more experienced, long-term leadership for children’s social care amounted to £2 million . Could it be a measure of just how much trouble Children’s Services are really in is that the required investment has increased TENFOLD ? !

The Emperor’s New Impose

However we do have a good news item to report and that is the retirement of Birkenhead MP Frank Field. Well, that got your attention didn’t it! Unfortunately it’s not imminent , which is a shame – as anyone who witnessed his tetchy performance discussing Brexit on today’s Sunday Politics TV programme will testify . There he was all flush-faced and flapping hands as Stella Creasy the Labour MP for Walthamstow accused Frankenfield of “driving the Boris bus” . Which we can only hope wasn’t a lewd euphemism. Stella stood her ground and wasn’t having any of Frank’s passive aggressive nonsense telling him ” You can talk over me all you like Frank” . Full coverage here : Frank v Stella

During the clash of handbags Frankenfield maintained that the public should have ” the right to every bit of information going”. Which is a change of tune from someone who once objected on Radio Merseyside about the Wirral public making Freedom of Information requests to Wirral Council . We just wonder whether this new found fondness for openness and transparency extends to persuading Wirral Council to finally publish a much heralded report dating back to 2015 which was written by Frank’s mate , Nick Warren. Frankenfield was whining to the local press as far back as July 2015 as to why the report hadn’t yet been published. Now everyone involved -including Field – apparently wants to bury the report. What’s that all about?

However let’s get back to the matter of who Frankenfield thinks should inherit his kingdom. Apparently Upton councillor Matthew Patrick (aka Matty Patty) is the nice young man that Field would like to succeed him as the MP for one of the safest parliamentary seats in the land. But then we suppose there isn’t a deep pool of talent to draw upon in Birkenhead is there? But what about Foulkesy? Georgie? Crabby?, Doughty? we hear you cry. All we can assume is that Frank would like someone more in keeping with the aspirational artist’s impressions of a future Birkenhead that have been knocking about all over the local press this week.

Artist’s impression of a possible future MP for Birkenhead

‘Speer’ of Destiny

Talking of these artist’s impressions …..there were a slew of pretty pictures accompanying such headlines as ‘Stunning new images of how Birkenhead could look in future as billion-pound deal is agreed’ concerning the Wirral Council/MuseDevelopments Joint Venturewhich includes potential plansfor glossy new Counciloffices.Somehow acheekyWirral Leaks reader was suddenly minded to recall the work of the Third Reich’s architect , Albert Speer.

We’re sure they’re not making comparisons with a power-crazed, progaganda-obsessed regime but rather just reminding us that the self-aggrandizing plans for a People’s Hall/Great Hall/Hall of Glory were never realized.

Have you noticed how the supposed grand plans for the regeneration of Wirral (and Birkenhead in particular) are being disseminated in the the press in exactly the same incoherent , opportunistic and uncoordinated way.

For example we’ve already covered how the charisma free zone that is Wirral Council CEO Eric ‘Feeble’ Robinson chose the trade press Inside Media (who?) to tease us about future major land and property deals Double Dealers

Subsequently there then followed an announcement in the Liverpool Echo that there were plans to convert Wirral Council’s former finance building into student flats under the title ‘ Hamilton Hub’ (groan ). Here we learned that Liverpool-based developer YPG wants to convert these offices in Cleveland Street into an ‘apartment complex’ for 200 students. Hamilton Hub

Sze Ming Yeung, managing director of YPG, said: “Our research tells us there is a real appetite for this kind of student and key worker accommodation in the centre of Birkenhead, partly because of the city region’s excellent cross-river transport links.

Since YPG were set up in 2015 have been busy helping turn Liverpool city centre into ‘Studentland’. It also won’t surprise you to read HERE that Asif Hamid’s Contact Company and YPG have teamed up on the controversial Monarch’s Quay development in Liverpool about which we commented on here : Asif Attack

Well it would now appear that another one of these landscape changing deals is now out in the open. As apparently the developer behind the controversial Lime Street redevelopment in Liverpool has bought the site of an old Birkenhead railway station – and has vowed to use the land to transform the town. Into what? Reno? Or has that desert mirage faded before our very eyes too ? We can hardly wait for the artist’s impressions !

We learn from the Liverpool Echo thatIon Property Developments has bought the site of the former Birkenhead Town station, off Tunnel Road between Borough Road and the Rock Retail Park. Ion, formerly known as Neptune Developments, has not yet revealed what it plans for the land. But it says the site is “in a strategic position for the regeneration of Birkenhead town centre”. Read the fully story here : Old Site

Wirral Leaks readers may remember that Neptune Developments had exciting plans to redevelop Birkenhead town centre and which included (gasp!) a drive-thru McDonald’s . Mysteriously Neptune’s plans were kicked to the kerb by Wirral Council only to be replaced by new plans for ,er, a drive -thru Maccy D’s !

So now that Neptune Developments have had a re-branding and changed their name to Ion Property Developments could Managing Director Steve Parry be getting in on Asif Hamid’s act and is acquiring land and sitting back and waiting for the grants of public money to enable them to develop a bit of particularly undesirable piece of derelict land ? Of course Ion don’t quite have Hamid’s position of power and influence as chair of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board . We await developments (pun intended) with interest.

Meanwhile Wirral Globe are gamelystillreferring to ‘the Wirral Waters regeneration project’in a story about an ‘art installation’ on the site of what perhaps should have been an ‘International Trade Centre’. Forgive us for being so cynical but after the Stella Shiu debacle we feel we’re in for a continual series of piecemeal , ad-hoc developments being heralded as part of the ‘Wirral Waters regeneration project’ rather than the comprehensive transformation we’ve been sold . As a highways feasibility study tender issued last week demonstrates it would seem that there is still a long and winding road to travel before the Wirral watersregeneration project’ becomes a reality.

As an aside an interesting aspect of this story Wirral Waters was the accompanying picture which included ‘Community Arts Facilitator’ Cathy Warren alongside Birkenhead MP Frank Field. Could Ms Warren be in any way related to Frankenfield’s favoured report writer and former Judge Nicholas Warren? I’m sure all of you who know how things work round here will know the answer to that one.

Pic : Wirral Globe

Finally a concerned correspondent from over the Mersey has been in touch to provide us with a salutary tale and timely reminder as to what can happenwhen Due Diligence is sacrificed in favour of headline grabbing developments .

According to the Department for International Trade, ‘The UK continues to attract record levels of inward investment and remains extremely attractive to foreign investors.’ In fact George Osborne went to China with the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson to promote the ‘Northern Pitchbook’, with the £200 million New Chinatown development in Liverpool being the ‘centerpiece’ development In terms of Cash Only/Investor development investments, this is fast becoming a national scandal, which will have a very negative affect on UK/Chinese relations, and will seriously limit inward investment into the Northern Powerhouse. FACT 1 – Record numbers of Chinese and Hong Kong investors have been putting their money into northern developments, especially student accommodation and city apartments .Investors have to put 75% cash up front and the developments are usually ‘off-plan’. This means, in many cases, that not even the foundations have been built. FACT 2 – This has attracted the very ‘worst!’ of developers, which can be seen from the following information: [1] Angelgate Development- Manchester – which was developed by Pinnacle MC Global and went into liquidation in April 2015, leaving the development unfinished [foundations only]. By August, the developer told buyers the project had been “seriously undervalued” by around £14 million (HK$140.04 million), requiring additional funding in order to complete. The developer gave Angelgate [mainly Chinese/Hong Kong] investors two options: contribute more money to complete the project, or handle the construction themselves.According to a solicitor’s update from Pinnacle, a total of £13.2 million went to commissions and fees, with £7.9 million spent on “overheads, running costs and profits. [this begs the question: how can developers take profits when the development hasn’t actually been built]”An Angelgate investor said an estimated £32 million (HK$330 million) had been paid in deposit money from the buyers in the steering committee and they had filed reports with local police and fraud action groups.

The Angelgate project was a scam and investors felt helpless, she said. One of the men involved in this development, Tony Freeman, has been arrested by the police. [2] Investors from around the world say they will never put money into Liverpool again after their experience of dealing with a city “landlord from hell”.

They have been bombarding council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald [this man has also been arrested by the police for suspicion of conspiring to pervert the course of justice and intimidating witnesses.]with complaints about Nigel Russell, who runs a number of student properties around Liverpool. Investors say that if the council had carried out Due Diligence then they and fellow investors from as far away as Canada, Brunei, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines may not have had to endure what they called years of hell.

They had to endure months without any payments, and some had put their life savings into buying units from Mr Russell. Nigel Russell has been arrested by the police [3] £200 million – New Chinatown development – The companies involved in this development were given ‘preferred developer ‘status by Liverpool City Council without any proper Due Diligence being carried out. There was significant investment by Chinese and Hong Kong investors. With only the foundations completed, two of the construction companies involved have gone into liquidation and the development is at a halt.

[4] Baltic House – The companies involved in this development are on the point of liquidation. There was significant investment by Chinese and Hong Kong investors. With only the foundations and a small amount of the construction completed this project is at a halt. [5] The Paramount – There was significant investment by Chinese and Hong Kong investors. The development is only half built with 140 Chinese students living in the built half. This building is probably dangerous and building is at a halt

[5]Berry House – There was significant investment by Chinese and Hong Kong investors. The company involved is close to liquidation-no building work completed at all.

[6] North Point – There was significant investment by Chinese and Hong Kong investors. The company involved is close to liquidation-very little building work completed .

[7] St James Court – sold to investors, but absolutely no building works even started

[8]Metalworks – sold to investors, but absolutely no building works even started

[9] Eldon Grove – sold to investors, but absolutely no building works even started

It is clear from the above information that Manchester and Liverpool City Councils [as just examples] are not carrying out Due Diligence and are leaving investors prey to criminals. It is quite evident that this is going to lead to a significant reduction in the number of foreign investors in the North West [Northern Powerhouse] and a deterioration in the Chinese/UK economic relationship.

We find Halloween frightful (and not in a good way) so we’ve pulled up the drawbridge at Leaky Towers and are now settling down before a log fire to recall our All Hallow’s Eve stories of yore.

We decided we couldn’t outdo our 2015 story below as it is as pertinent then as it is now. Wirral Leaks is playing the part of Catherine Earnshaw’s ghost in Emily Bronte’s classic gothic novel Wuthering Heights – scratching at the window and haunting the guilty in their sleep…………………for eternity!

Although reporting Wirral Council horror stories is our stock in trade our fiendish readers realise we always like to make a special effort on Halloween.

So reporting (almost) live from the gothic monstrosity that is Leaky Towers we bring you the leading mischief makers in the Wirralgate scandal that haunts Wirral Council. This is the scandal which the local poltergeist politicians want to keep hidden in the basement like the body of Norman Bates’s mother.

The Rt.Hon Frankenfield has like Dr. Frankenstein created a monster.That monster has been cobbled together from a small group of obedient halfwits and an amoral wannabe.

This monster has been running amok for years always knowing that Frankenfield will defend his unco-ordinated , incoherent and clumsy creation.

However by setting up the call which ended in a fateful recorded conversation he effectively created the Wirralgate scandal.

The eternal wannabe council leader Power Boy Pip Davies – always in denial and forever deluded. In his own words he said The Ghouls ,sorry The Group were using “the content of the phone conversation to pressurise him into settling their claim ” ( page 7 – Report of Investigation Into allegation of Breach Code of Conduct for Councillors – Patricia Thynne June 2014).……and then meekly obeys when Frankenfield steps in and “demands” a compensation for The Group!. Frankenfield then gets close friend “Old Nick” Warren to cobble together some kind of justification for compensation when there is no legal basis for such a claim.

It was the feckless and reckless Foulkesy who instigated the Wirralgate scandal.However there are only so many people’s lives and careers he can destroy before they begin to emerge from his curse. Here he is pictured above with the person who we believe may prove to be his nemesis.

If a picture paints a thousand words then no photoshopping is required. Frankenfield’s factotum – the runaround,the go-between,the fixer.Just like Igor obediently acting on his master’s instructions Cllr George Davies had in his own words a “relaxed and unguarded way of talking” to The Group (Page 11 – Report of Investigation Into allegation of Breach Code of Conduct for Councillors – Patricia Thynne June 2014).This “relaxed and unguarded way of talking” apparently included casual racism , smears and illegal sweetheart deals….all of which was recorded by a member of The Group.

And so like a recurring nightmare Wirral Leaks seeks to be a constant reminder that what is seemingly dead and buried will sometimes come come back and haunt those named and shamed above during their long dark night of the soul*.

*Disclaimer – Wirral Leaks realises the people described above sold their soul a long time ago and any resemblance to a fit and proper person to hold public office is entirely coincidental.

However little did we think that 4 years later we would still be waiting for the biggest scandal ever in Wirral politics to be fully exposed. Call it our spectacular naivety in underestimating the power that 4 politicians hold locally but it is astonishing to us that this particular 4 x 4 is still on the road. So , for those of you unfamiliar with the Wirralgate story , which for a start off means you’re not a regular reader of Wirral Leaks , we’ll break it downfor you. It goes a little something like this :

4 Wirral Council complainants have a recorded telephone conversation involving the Deputy Leader of Wirral Council where he uses a racist slur to describe a senior council officer and offers the complainants what they themselves call a ‘ sweetheart deal’ . They are asked to hand over a document smearing Tory leader Jeff Green and their suspect claim for compensation will be sorted without the necessity of all those bothersome legal processes. They hand over the document which was written by one of the complainants (and just for clarity was NEVER in the files of the former head of law Bill Norman, as was claimed by former leader of Wirral Council , Cllr Steve Foulkes.) Foulkesy subsequently hands over the document to Liam Murphy – the political editor of the Liverpool Echo. Murphy later makes a covert recording of the covert recording (!) and when later outed by Emma Degg the former Wirral Council head of communications to whom he played it, suddenly Murphy is no longer the political editor of the Liverpool Echo ! Go figure!

Council Leader Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies later claims that the 4 complainants were using the recorded conversation to settle their compensation claim . The complainants record a meeting they had with Pip listening to the Cllr George Davies telephone conversation. Pip asks of one of the complainants whether he is recording the meeting. He wasn’t – but another of the complainants was. So now they have a recording of Cllr Phil Davies, the leader of Wirral Council listening to a highly incriminating recording his deputy! BINGO! Pip is heard to say on the recording :

” I can’t defend this”

But of course he has to – George Davies is not only his deputy but Frank Field’s electoral agent and confidante. No wonder Pip agrees to a bogus ‘inquiry’ by long time Field associate Nick Warren which was nothing more than a means of securing the complainants more than the £3,000 they’d been offered for their ‘time and trouble’ and a sum of public money much more in line with what the incriminating recordings are worth to the big 4 – if not to Wirral council taxpayers.

Of course Frankenfield, Power Boy Pip, Foulkesy and Gorgeous George wouldn’t have got away with the cover up for so quite long without the passive local political ‘opposition’, the complicity of the local press , Merseyside Police and senior council officers past and present, the compromising of other investigations where Cllr George Davies and Cllr Foulkes were allowed to get away with persistently lying and where the complainants refused to take part ( hey, wasn’t there a cheque in it for you guys or something?) and, most pertinently, the failure of the complainants themselves to ‘go public’ with the recordings despite the fact they’ve played fast and loose with local media for 4 years – and it must be said , even us , but you may have noticed we gave up on them doing the right thing a long time ago. Wirral Leaks is NOT and never will be a bargaining tool. The irony being that whilst the complainants were more than willing to go public with allegations that they could never properly evidence they have withheld incontrovertible evidence proving that the big 4 are utterly corrupt. Draw your own conclusions ££££££££.

Ultimately to us this is just an example of Frankenfield’s feudalism – getting his own way and doing exactly what he wants and knowing he’ll never be challenged. Another example was his backing of last night’s EU Withdrawal Bill in the House of Commons , thereby defying Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who asked Labour MPs to vote it down. Could this be the same Frank Field who voted for EU enlargement and the accession of Eastern European countries in 2003?

But then Frank’s not one to let facts or truth get in the way of his one man mission which is the greater glory of HIMSELF – and it seems Wirralgate musn’t be allowed to get in the way of that amoral juggernaut.

The ‘whistleblowers’ in this particular case being those curious specimens who seem to be ‘courted and feted’ by the most powerful political figures on Wirral and still don’t seem to be able to cut themselves a lucrative deal . What’s that about?

We say this as an even more curious Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has been brought to or attention.

We note that Wirral Council’s nemesis Martin Morton is still – after all these years – on their case. We also note that Wirral Council have been forced to release parts of what seems to us to be the flimsiest report of all time.

Regular readers will know that the Nick Warren report (aka ‘The Warren Commission’) is the means by which Wirral Council (or more specifically the Labour administration) hope to extricate themselves from the most damning scandal in Wirral Council’s history.

Yes, just think about that for a moment.

Whilst friend of Frankenfield , Nick Warren, invites us to consider what these particular whistleblowers have done for Wirral , we’re not allowed to find out what their magnificent achievements exactly are because it would appear that Morton ,in particular, and the people of Wirral in general, are not allowed to know. Apparently we’re just expected to shut up and stump up the shush money!

So based on what we know if Warren is posing the question what these particular whistleblowers have done for Wirral we’d have to answer : ‘ FUCK ALL’ because as far as we’re concerned there is ‘FUCK ALL’ available in his report to base our answer on!

And so it would seem we’re a long way from the JFK ideal of selfless idealism. But then again he was a shady character wasn’t he? And let’s face it he was a politician!

We can only think that the ‘establishment’ must know that the publication of the Warren Report would lead to a metaphorical political assassination and therefore the cover up must continue . Where is our man on the ‘grassy knoll’ ?

An email has been sent to all Members of the Council concerning an extraordinary meeting to take place to discuss the urgent appointment to the soon to be notorious/infamous ‘Investor Development Manager’ post

To all Members of the Council

Dear Councillor,

Would you please note that the Mayor has called an extraordinary meeting of the Council to be held on Monday, 6 March, 2017, at 5.30pm.

This extraordinary meeting has been called at the request of 24 Members, in accordance with Standing Order 1(4), to consider a Notice of Motion in respect of the creation of ‘a senior post of Investor Development Manager’ (requisition notice attached).

This extraordinary meeting will precede the Budget Council meeting which will be held at 6.00pm, or upon the rising of the 5.30pm meeting, whichever is the later.

And previously a report to Cabinet on 16 January 2017 dealt with the appointment as follows…

‘Although this was not a key decision, in the light of the time critical nature of these activities, it was considered necessary to request that call-in be waived. This would enable the activities to progress at once and, therefore, ensure that work was completed in time to meet deadlines for key events such as MIPIM. Due to the absence of the Chief Executive, and on his behalf, the Assistant Chief Executive had recommended that call-in be waived’.

A request for the extraordinary meeting of the Council was called by 24 opposition councillors as ‘we believe that the creation of this post requires further scrutiny, to enable council to decide whether it is justified’.

However the extraordinary meeting has been called for 6th March – AFTER the appointment has been made! Which rather suggests to us that the matter was NOT ‘urgent’ in the first place and in fact the waiver was a means of preventing anyone asking any awkward questions as to why , at a time of cuts and punitive charging measures , that the council taxpayers of Wirral are being asked to fund Council leader Power Boy Pip’s special friend to hobnob in the South of France at their expense as apparently one of the ‘key events’ is described as follows : ‘MIPIM Cannes is the premier event in the European Real Estate calendar and has become Europe’s showcase for major cities, property developments, investment opportunities and international networking’

Nice work if you can get it and you can get it – even when it’s a politically restricted post and you’re part of a corrupt political cabal!

We’re also becoming increasingly concerned by the role of the Assistant Chief Executive David Armstrong’s enabling role and his very dodgy decision making in the absence of the Chief Executive Eric ‘Feeble’ Robinson. Stressed Eric seems to have abdicated all responsibility when it comes to decisions which may come back and bite him on his plushly upholstered backside. Meanwhile Armstrong seemingly sails serenely towards a sizeable pension pot and is quite happy to acquiesce to whatever his political paymasters ask of him. Witness also his decision to commission Nick Warren to stitch up the council taxpayers over the ‘Wirralgate’ scandal in the power/moral vacuum that followed Graham Burgess’s hasty departure and proceeded Stressed Eric’s appointment.

All of which leads us to conclude that ‘bureaucratic machinations’ doesn’t come close to describing how Wirral Council operates and what makes it truly ‘ an extraordinary council’ for all the wrong reasons!